Festive Tu B’Shvat Fruit Menu

Celebrate the bounty of Tu B’Shvat with these delectable, fruity recipes.

On Tu B’Shvat, the New Year of the trees, we celebrate by indulge in delicious fruit. God created a beautiful world for our enjoyment. Thank Him for the vast array of gorgeous and colorful fruits that are so appealing and begging to be tasted. Whether you favor your fruit crunchy, juicy, sweet, tart, colorful there is a fruit to satisfy every taste.

Here is a selection of recipes that include fruits. They can be part of any menu.

Bulgur Salad with Oranges, Cashews & Fresh Herbs

Look for bulgur in bags in the health food section of the supermarket (it is commonly available) or at a natural food store (both in bags and in bulk).

Bob's Red Mill Bulgur is a good brand of bulgur to use, but avail yourself of any variety found in your supermarket.

1½ cups medium or coarse bulgur

2 cups boiling water

1 orange cut in segments

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs maple syrup

1 Tbs ground cumin (optional)

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

½ cup raisins or craisins

4 green onions, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves or cilantro (optional)

1/3 cup roasted, lightly salted cashew pieces

In a bowl, combine bulgur and boiling water. Let bulgur soak in the hot water, covered, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large bowl whisk together segments of orange, lemon juice, maple syrup, cumin, cinnamon, and oil until combined. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper to taste. Add soaked bulgur, raisins, green onions, mint, cilantro, and oranges to dressing and toss well. Chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

Preparation time 20 minutes
Serves 8

Special Sweet Potato and Granny Smith Apple Soup

Apples in soup? Some people might balk at the idea but this easy, heartwarming winter soup is a winner. Sweetness from the sweet potato combined with the tartness from the apple along with the spices balances the flavor of this soup beautifully.

1 large sweet potato peeled and diced.

2-Granny Smith apple

1 tsp cumin

1 large leek washed and cut into circles

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 inch piece ginger (optional)

Place the diced sweet potato, chunks of apple and leeks into a 4 quart pot. Cover with water and cook for 30 minutes until all ingredients are soft. With a blender stick, puree vegetables and apples. Add the spices. Stir and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Adjust the soup by adding more or less water to get the desired consistency. Decorate each plate with some sliced almonds, or sliced banana (light green long thin) peppers. Serve hot with rice cakes or crackers.

Preparation time 15 minutes
Serves 6

Chicken Pilaf with Nuts and Craisins

Chicken and rice cook together in a fragrant mix of traditional eastern Mediterranean flavorings. Serve with flatbread and a tossed salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Sprinkle ½ tsp (2 ml) of the salt and pepper all over chicken. In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat, brown chicken, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate. In same pot sauté onion and garlic for 10 minutes or until brown; adding some oil if needed,. Stir in almonds, craisins and chestnuts; cook, stirring, until nuts darken, about 3 minutes. Add rice, allspice, cinnamon, cumin and remaining salt; cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat grains.

Light and Tasty Fruit Flan

This beautiful dessert is a great finish to any meal. Especially on Tu Bishvat, it complements the theme of fruits herein presented. There is a special flan pan that has an indentation, which when inverted allows for the custard and fruit filling. It is available in most houseware or kitchen supply stores. It is a favorite with all ages.

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, mix flour with baking powder and set aside. On a lower speed, add yolks, oil and orange juice alternating with flour and baking powder mixture.

Oil the flan pan very thoroughly in center and on all sides. Pour in the batter and distribute evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool while you prepare the custard. Beat the whipped cream with the vanilla pudding. Invert the cooled cake remove gingerly from the pan so it does not break. Pour custard into the center of the flan and cover with your choice of fruits.

Glaze:

In a small pot, bring the orange juice with all other glaze ingredients to a boil, allowing it to thicken slightly. Smear the glaze over the fruits, for a nice effect. Fruit flan can be refrigerated up to a week.

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About the Author

Gitta Bixenspanner is a certified nutritionist who lives in Montreal with her husband. She teaches high school, seminary and give inspiring adult education classes in Jewish topics. As a certified nutritionist she gives cooking seminars, the main purpose being to teach people to adopt healthier lifestyles in keeping with the mitzvah of taking care of our bodies.

My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I'm afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

Let's first define our terms. What is faith?

Webster defines faith as "Belief without proof."

What is knowledge? "An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation."

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you're going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there's a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying "made in China." There's a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says: "You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other." (This verse is also contained in the prayer, "Aleynu.")

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word "emunah," which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives. A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a "knowledge," that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

To learn more, read "The Knowing Heart," by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

You shall know this day and consider it within your heart(Deuteronomy 4:39).

Business people who are involved in many transactions employ accountants to analyze their operations and to determine whether or not they are profitable. They may also seek the help of experts to determine which products are making money and which are losing. Such studies allow them to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Without such data, they might be doing a great deal of business, but discover at the end of the year that their expenditures exceeded their earnings.

Sensible people give at least as much thought to the quality and achievement of their lives as they do to their businesses. Each asks himself, "Where am I going with my life? What am I doing that is of value? In what ways am I gaining and improving? And which practices should I increase, and which should I eliminate?"

Few people make such reckonings. Many of those that do, do so on their own, without consulting an expert's opinion. These same people would not think of being their own business analysts and accountants, and they readily pay large sums of money to engage highly qualified experts in these fields.

Jewish ethical works urge us to regularly undergo cheshbon hanefesh, a personal accounting. We would be foolish to approach this accounting of our very lives with any less seriousness than we do our business affairs. We should seek out the "spiritual C.P.A.s," those who have expertise in spiritual guidance, to help us in our analyses.

Today I shall...

look for competent guidance in doing a personal moral inventory and in planning my future.

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